LONDON, May 3, 2018 –The Digital Future Council, a first-of-its-kind think tank, has been formed by a star-studded collection of leaders across the creative industries with the aim of bridging the gap between media and technology. The Digital Future Council will host quarterly events across the globe, with each event centered around the impact of a different emerging technology. The goal of these events will be to ignite meaningful debates and conversations, formulate tangible advice, and promulgate best practices for the global marketing and advertising communities when integrating new technologies such as AI, Big Data, and blockchain.

Dembitz said, “The collision of technology and creativity has the potential to drive increasing returns for all stakeholders, but too often this outcome is undone purely because of a lack of understanding on either side of the table. Bringing together the best of brand communications, media, and technology to expedite this joined-up narrative is an exceptionally exciting prospect.”

Kate Cox, Vice President, CMO EMEA at GoDaddy, said: “GoDaddy are constantly scanning new digital technologies that will both drive our own marketing efforts forward and in turn help power our 17m+ small business customers’ online presence and enable their business success. The DFC offers us a chance to keep on top of developments in the industry in order to feed our marketing experimentation and testing programme and drive our business growth. It also offers a forum for senior marketing and creative technologists to debate future management frameworks of new technologies.”

The Digital Future Council will officially launch at Cannes Lions, June 18-21, with a series of events focused on blockchain technology, a topic chosen first based on demand from creative communities. Through a series of town hall-style talks, roundtables, and dinners, leading C-suite executives across media, advertising, and consumer brands will explore how blockchain technology will impact audience interaction, distribution of content, and monetization, in addition to advising creative leaders on blockchain’s role in empowering consumers to understand the true value of their data, particularly as it pertains to advertising dollars.

A number of key executives in the blockchain space also join as founding members of the Digital Future Council, and will help lead the conversations throughout the launch event. These leaders include: Jarrod Dicker, CEO ofPo.et; Elena Zavelev, Founder ofNew Art Academy; Tom Graham, Founder of TLDR; James Tabor, CEO ofMEDIA Protocol; Kayla Sanders, Founder ofRemy.co; Andy Tian, CEO of GIFTO; and David Wachsman, Founder and CEO ofWachsman, among others.

James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol CEO, said, “As someone who’s been heavily involved in both tech and media for nearly a decade, I’ve seen firsthand how eager businesses are to implement essential tech but struggle due to a lack of knowledge in the hands of decision makers. The Digital Future Council is an open forum, where creatives and the tech savvy collide to ask the questions that haven’t been asked yet. The names on the roster thus far are incredible and we can’t wait to see how this quarterly gathering can drive constructive innovation for all involved.”

Additional members of the Digital Future Council will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information about the Digital Future Council and how to apply to become a member, please visitwww.digitalfuturecouncil.com.

The Digital Future Council is a first-of-its-kind think tank built on the mission of bridging the gap between the media and technology industries.Led by the best and brightest across media, marketing, advertising, and technology, The Digital Future Council will ignite meaningful conversations in order to assist creative industries with integrating bleeding edge technology into their businesses. The Digital Future Council hosts quarterly events across the globe, with each event centered around the impact of a different emerging technology, from AI to blockchain. Founding members of the Digital Future Group include top executives from Warner Bros. Entertainment, Havas Media, GoDaddy, The LEGO Group, VICE Media, and other influential thought leaders. For more information and to inquire about becoming a member, visitwww.digitalfuturecouncil.com.